GL Brierley

We were a bit too early. GL Brierley welcomed us on the staircase in a sharp red woolen coat. She had just fetched some cake because it was time for a coffee break. Beyond the lovely reception in her enchanting studio, I had the feeling that we had just been allowed into the world of a very strong woman.

First of all you must know: GL is a 3-D painter! To some areas of her paintings, she applies the oil colours in such a...

We were a bit too early. GL Brierley welcomed us on the staircase in a sharp red woolen coat. She had just fetched some cake because it was time for a coffee break. Beyond the lovely reception in her enchanting studio, I had the feeling that we had just been allowed into the world of a very strong woman.

First of all you must know: GL is a 3-D painter! To some areas of her paintings, she applies the oil colours in such a particular way as to create a relief. She has a special recipe that makes the colours crinkle. Accidents are important, so she lets the colours work for themselves to a certain extent. Needless to say, it takes weeks for the paintings to dry. For these moved surfaces she needs a stable background. That´s why she paints on metal - aluminium or copper. It sometimes shimmers through in parts of the painting where she uses color more sparingly or where she scratches it off.

One of her large paintings she had recently finished seems to show a rosary in space, with round dancing breasts and nipples that look like brains to me. GL Brierley touches on archaic feelings, like the pain of wounds caused by separation from the mother. Julia Kristeva´s theories about dichotomy, abjection and detraction belong to the philosophical background of her work. You can go deeper into it on her website www.glbrierley.com where you also find a fantastic text by Martin Herbert.